Watson shot a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits on Friday, moving to 8 under for the tournament and taking a three-stroke lead over five players, including Austin’s Ben Crenshaw.
Watson made eight birdies Friday, including a string of four straight just before he made the turn. But he said he still doesn’t have much a feel for the course, making him think twice about the way he is swinging.
“They’ve put a couple of tees in different places today, so you go, ‘Wait a minute. Where do you hit it here?’” Watson said. “And it makes me a little bit unsure of my swing.”
Watson certainly hid those insecurities well - especially during the birdie binge that began on the par-4 14th.
“I made some awkward swings out there to hit some awkward shots and got away with them for the most part,” Watson said.
Watson’s closest pursuers at 5 under are Crenshaw, Loren Roberts, Des Smyth, Lonnie Nielsen and Vicente Fernandez. Killeen graduate and Temple College product Keith Fergus (69) is five strokes off the lead.
“Obviously, he still hits it as good as he ever did,” Roberts said. “For him, it’s a matter of making putts and obviously he made some. He’s going to be tough to catch.”
Watson, 57, has won five British Opens, two Masters and a U.S. Open, but he has yet to win a U.S. Senior Open in seven tries.
Watson has finished second in three of the past five Senior Opens, losing a duel with Allen Doyle last year while playing in front of his home fans at Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, Kan.
And now he has another shot at it, thanks in large part to tranquil conditions in the morning.
Watson is well-known for his ability to play in the wind, but that’s a skill that hasn’t really been needed in two days here.
The course’s signature high winds whipped up during practice rounds early in the week but have been mostly absent during the first two rounds, leading to unexpectedly low scores.
But that didn’t help first-round leader Eduardo Romero, who had a rough day capped by a triple-bogey meltdown on the 18th hole.
Romero’s tee shot landed in a bunker, from which he pitched into another bunker. His next shot landed in a creek short of the green, and he needed help from fans to find his ball. He finished 5 over and is 1 under overall.
Doyle was trying to become the first player to win three straight Senior Opens; instead, he became the first defending champion to miss the cut since Bruce Fleisher in 2002. Doyle shot a 72 but missed the cut after shooting 83 in the first round.
Two-time champion Hale Irwin missed the cut by one stroke when he failed to sink a short putt on 18. This is the first time he will sit out the weekend in a Champions Tour major, a streak of 24 straight.
